[Jon34]

Knicks are an enigmatic team. I think more than any other team, you could have a very wide view of how good they are. They have at least 8 solid (or better) guys, and some really tough guys to cover. However they are all horribly flawed. A diehard NY fan will be able to see the best in each guy, and envision perfect cohesion. But just about each guy has serious issues, and for most of them, it is defense.

-Curry and Randolph will be really hard to stop down low. Randolph can create his own shot, and Curry takes up a ton of space. But neither one is a good defender or shot blocker. And while Randolph isn't a bad rebounder, he isn't great when compared to other 2nd tier power forwards.
-David lee is a great rebounder and hustle guy, but isn't a great on the ball defender, and can't create his own shot.
-Marbury is a malcontent and a loser. His abilities are diminishing, and yes, he just today decided not to travel with the team
-Crawford has unlimited range. He can hit 40 foot 3's. The problem is, he takes 40 foot 3's. Also, with his build, he can't really defend any real shooting guards.
-Nate Robinson has a lot of energy off the bench. Very athletic, and even has a little range on his jumper. And by all accounts, he seems to have matured from last year. But no matter how you slice it, a 5'7" shooting guard is a huge defensive liability, even if he gets a steal or two a game.
-Overall PG play is a problem, with no good defenders and all of them looking for their shots before distributing
-Their best defender/energy guy is Balkman. Unfortunately he is clueless with the ball in his hands.

Overall they have a lot of interesting players. But too many headcases, no pass first guys, only 1 or 2 guys play any defense to speak of (and they aren't bigs or PG's), and oh yeah, they are being led by Isaiah. I wouldn't trust any man to lead an organization who has the lack of discretion to sexually harass Anucha Browne Sanders when any one of the knicks city dancers would have been a far better choice. I see them winning 30+ games on talent alone, but they should fall short of the playoffs. Their talent is intriguing, but I see them coming up short in the suddenly deep Eastern Conference.